It’s a sad, heroic tale every pet owner will shed a tear over. A family dog lost its life last Friday in Atlanta, Georgia, shielding its owners from gunfire resulting from a road rage incident.

According to CNN affiliate WXIA, the violent exchange took place in a parking lot of a strip mall, where the angry, assaulting driver followed the victimized family and began shooting. Anonymous witnesses claim the German shepherd jumped between its owners and the gunfire as soon as the assailant pulled up next to the family’s car.